Amanah Saham Malaysia 2 – Wawasan (ASM 2 Wawasan) has paid its latest dividend on 1 September 2021. The amount is RM 0.04/unit, equal to a dividend yield of 4%. This amount is the same as the dividend last year.
Trend
The dividends of the previous years were 6.4 cents (2015), 6.3 cents (2016), 6 cents (2017), 6 cents (2018), 5 cents (2019), and 4 cents (2020).
This dividend is the lowest in its history, but is still the same as last year. It comes as no surprise given the performance of local market.
Outlook
The fixed price funds from Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad serve as my emergency fund now. Since its dividend yield is still 4%, I am going to stay put. The benchmark of this fund is the same as ASM, the Maybank 12-Month Fixed Deposit, which returns 1.85% per annum. However, I think we should use the KLCI as the benchmark as this fund invests in the local equity market, rather than fixed income. Using the return of KLCI in 2020 (2.4%), ASM 2 Wawasan still has a return that is 1.6% higher.
Going forward, I think the fixed price funds should be able to maintain dividend rate of at least 4%. It is not great, but it is still better than fixed deposits.